Mergers and Acquisitions have now been cited by Goldman Sachs as the primary global growth strategy for large-cap companies. The last twelve months have seen the return of the strategic inquirer, with blue chip companies driving deal frequency and volumes not seen since 2007 and 2008. Yet, almost religiously, study after study shows that mergers and acquisitions fail at rate of 70% to 90%, leaving massive intellectual, creative and financial currency on the table.

The number one reason for M & A failure? Culture clash.

And a decades long flawed strategy titled “integration.”

Here’s the unspoken truth accompanied by the predictable chain of events.

An M&A is an arranged marriage.

There is no love at the beginning.

The issues start Day One.

Executives announce the once hush-hushed M&A information.

Employees feign excitement as FEAR ripples through both companies.

The C suite announces: “This will be great for everyone!”

No one is buying that promise.

A culture of SURVIVAL thinking and behaviors is now in play.

To quiet the fear, a WILDLY FLAWED STRATEGY called INTEGRATION is announced.

Despite the classic definition of integration, deemed a process that will create equality between separate parts, integration in business is a process of fitting something new into something old. Think square peg, round hole.

First and foremost, it is a conceptual PARADIGM SHIFT. In lieu of integrating the companies, all stakeholders commit to a true metamorphosis.

Our definition of metamorphosis:

–A COMPLETE TRANSFORMATION

A radical change of form, structure, and substance

Transformation in business, especially after a merger and acquisition, is the commitment to literally build a new culture (and company brand) from scratch.

Who should lead this metamorphosis?

A Navy Seal team of culture and communication experts whose only agenda is the new entity’s success.

How will this be accomplished?

Through a series of four missions, each targeted at redrawing, launching and living the new culture and communication systems.

First 90 days:
During the first ninety days of a Merger and Acquisition a rigorous facilitation process begins, led by Culture and Communication experts. The goal: complete stakeholder transparency regardless of what has or hasn’t been said leading up to the M & A. Like in life, when people are dating, they don’t always fess up to what they really want. Stakeholders, in this context, mean the C suites of the two companies, the acquirer’s board of directors and all capital investors.

To achieve success, this must be done with unbiased facilitators present – culture and communication experts who can ensure that a safe haven is created for all parties to speak their minds, extend unabashed honesty, and come to initial operating principles; even if at this point, one accord is not yet possible.

Simultaneously, through 360-degree assessments and in-person meetings, Culture and Communications experts do a deep dive analysis of each company’s existing operating structure, good and bad. A truly fresh look at organizational principles, execution competencies, creative output and happiness factors are prepared for the Stakeholders cited above to review.

Remember, alongside everyday pressing business realities, these conversations are being addressed in the face of globalization, 24/7 information access, empowered consumers, warp speed market movement, and competition of gargantuan proportion fueled by the age of the knowledge worker.

If a beat is missed, the consequences can be fleeing customers (Netflix once lost 1 million customers in 24 hours), brand damage, financial loss and ultimately, and shockingly, obsolescence (Blackberry).

Second 90 days:
The second 90 days has two facilitated directives for the Culture and Communication experts; Safety management and Customized Culture Innovation

Part one of the M & A mission is to successfully address “the truth about people.” The #1 driver of all human behavior is the need and desire for safety. Let’s face it; no one wants to get hurt. Meetings must be skillfully generated to answer the numerous “elephants” in every room:

Will I be fired? I
If I stay, will I be respected?
Will I be resourced correctly?
Will I gain or lose autonomy?
Will I be encouraged?
Whom can I trust now?
Is my purpose different now?
Is this still a place where I can stay?
If these questions go unanswered the psychological ramifications are:
—I can’t afford to fail so I’ll play it safe.
—I’ll jockey for position even if someone else gets hurt in the process.
—Even if I succeed, someone else will probably take the credit, so why bother?! Less becomes more.

Simultaneously, and deployed as a sure-fire way to expertly manage fear, an exciting, empowering and facilitated series of Leadership Innovation Summits are rolled out to allow top-tier leaders to completely redesign the company and brand, from top to bottom.

Remember, this is a metamorphosis, not an integration process and the Gods of innovation are summoned forward. New vision, values and behavioral agreements have to be designed including but not limited to decisions about:

Third 90 days:
The Third 90 days is a facilitated sell-through to the entire company. No one is left out of the metamorphosis; it’s all about closing the culture loop. This is done through a combination of town-hall meetings, additional Innovation Summits and on-the-ground team building exercises.

Fact: Engaged and satisfied employees create loyal customers.

Statistically, a 5% increase in customer loyalty yields a 25%-95% profit increase. And as for the C suite, internal communication and alignment is the top factor in determining a CEO’s reputation, which is in turn critical to shareholder value.

Bank of America’s acquisition of mortgage lender Countrywide in 2008 would later be referred to as “the worst deal in the history of American finance.” The bank paid just $2.5 billion for Countrywide, a deal that ended up costing the bank more than $40 billion.

eBay decided to buy Skype for $2.6 billionin 2005, only to sell the company four years later for $1.9 billion. The companies were unable to successfully integrate their technological systems, according to PC World.

In 1998, Daimler-Benz bought Chrysler for $36 billion. Ultimately, Chrysler’s focus on accommodating customers with lower incomes did not fit with Daimler-Benz’s luxury car making business model. In 2007, Daimler-Benz paid $650 million to Cerberus Capital Management to sever its ties with Chrysler, according to Time.

Statistics don’t lie: it’s time for a new WINNING WAY!

What has your experience been with M&A? What do you think about The Winning Way? Post a comment below.

This post was co-authored by Debbie Robins and Laura Nobles of Formula C Partners

Laura Nobles – Co-founder and Partner, Formula C Partners

Laura is a marketing and public relations expert with deep knowledge and an extensive track record of success across multiple industry sectors. She is a trusted C suite advisor who offers clients strategic thinking and communication programming designed to drive market adoption, sales growth and, when appropriate, successful exit strategies – including mergers and acquisitions. In fact, her direct experience with traditional mergers and acquisitions fueled her passion to co-found Formula C Partners with executive leadership guru Debbie Robins. With more than 20 years of experience, Laura is adept across virtually all communication disciplines. She has an innate understanding of how to interest, engage and influence a range of stakeholders that are important to each client’s business.

Debbie Robins is a leading executive leadership professional and trusted C-Suite advisor who is trained and vastly experienced in the area of cultural anthropology. With M&As rising as the top global growth strategy ($220 billion invested annually in the US alone) and the demands of Millennials (born 1983-1994) and then Plurals (born 1996 and beyond) pushing on organizational structures, creating couture, cohesive cultures has never been more critical to ensure success. Debbie intimately understands the core competencies of 21st century leadership and believes unabashedly that aligned, healthy, happy company cultures achieve and exceed their most important goals.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.

Norman Jentner

Debbie,
I would like to be a member of an organization that does exactly what you prescribe. That is, they recognize people (not widgets) as at core and don’t cut corners in opening up communication, understanding, and awareness among all. “Metamorphosis” is a much better description than integration. Very well said.

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